Undaunted, 'Flat-Earther' Mike Hughes gears up again for space jump on Feb 3

Long March-7 rocket and Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft are seen as they are transferred to a launching spot in Wenchang, Hainan province, China, April 17, 2017.Reuters (Representational image)

We have often heard people saying "sky is the limit", but do we always take it seriously? Here is one person who has taken this phrase in the literal sense of the term and aims to go to space at any cost. Californian man Mike Hughes, who created a buzz with his flat-Earth hypothesis, had planned a ride on a homemade steam-fueled rocket in 2017 in vain.

Unfortunately, his dreams were not fulfilled due to a couple of last-minute hitches in his vehicle and government interference. But it seems that he is not ready to let his dreams fade away.

This year again, Hughes is planning to take to the skies on Feb 3 with a new homemade steam-powered vehicle.

On Jan 20, the 61-year-old limo driver posted a video on Facebook revealing his plans to go to the space in order to prove his theory of flat earth but he need to raise $1.8 to 2 million for the project to go through as planned.

Though this launch will take him 1,800 feet high at speeds of around 500 miles per hour, not perfect to prove his theory, he said that the flight will get him closer to the ultimate path from where he will capture the exact shape of the earth.

Surprisingly, Hughes has made some changes to his flight plan this time as the American authorities banned the launch of his homemade rockets on public lands. Last year, when he was planning for his space ride, the Bureau of Land Management had objected to it and refused to give him the required permission.

Reports said that the Bureau has refused to allow his launch as the trajectory of the booster was structured in such a way that it could have landed on any public land. But, now Hughes has painted the trajectory of his rocket so that it will go straight up into the sky from a privately-owned property ensuring that the whole thing doesn't cross over.

"That way we got enough buffer that when it lands, it will not be on (Bureau of Land Management) property," Hughes said in the Facebook video.

Once Hughes reaches the required altitude, he will eject himself and come down to earth. In 2014, he did a similar thing after going up to 1,400 ft.

In November, Hughes said in an interview with the Associated Press that he does not believe in Science and he hates being called a "flat-Earther". "I know about aerodynamics and fluid dynamics and how things move through the air, about the certain size of rocket nozzles, and thrust," he told AP.

"But that's not science, that's just a formula. There's no difference between science and science fiction," Hughes added.